The Kingdom of Bretonnia
“Welcome to fair Bretonnia ... Commoner.” The Kingdom of Bretonnia is a feudal kingdom on The Great Continent that is made up of a lower class of peasants ruled by a noble class of chivalrous knights, Lords, and Ladies that are in turn given power by their King, Lord Louen Leoncoeur the Lion-heart. The land of Bretonnia is covered with rolling hills of grass and grain, deep pools, and slow flowing rivers. Its trees grow strong and tall and the land as a whole is filled with enough natural resources and food to support what would seem to be a far larger population than a kingdom of its size likely should. This of course as the Peasants and Nobles both would claim is the work of their local deity, the Goddess known only as The Lady of the Lake. The Knights and Nobles "That which is sacrosant I shall preserve... That which is sublime I will protect ... that which threatens, I will destroy for my holy wrath will know no bounds!" '-The Oath of the Grail Knigh't If there were two things any man or woman of Ori had heard of the land of Bretonnia it would be of it's grain and it's knights. Every Lord and Lady of the land is required to house their own companions of knights in which to defend the land and lives entrusted to them by The Lady and their King. All noble born sons of the land are required to learn the way of the sword and lance from an early age and over the seasons and years work their way up the ranks of Knighthood stating as a squire to a Knights Errant and then to a Knight of the Realm. Some still even then take the Oath of the Questing Knight and entrust their lands to Kin and set out to prove themselves to The Lady as a hero by doing great deeds in hopes of gaining her blessing and becoming a Grail Knight and earning the right to be claimed by the people as a living saint of The Lady. The Peasantry "Son of the soil, thou art born to labour and to serve, protected by thy betters. Thou shalt give unto thine glorious liege the taxes that he requires. Thou shalt labour all but feast days. And no more than a tenth-share shall you keep for kith and kin. Rejoice! For a Knight of Bretonnia provides your shield." —Vows of the Peasants unto their Bretonnian Lord Though hardly fourteen days can pass in a year without a feast day, no one could ever call the life of the peasantry and commoners a easy one in Bretonnia. In contrast to the often seen as overly decadent and extravagant lives of the Noble class, the peasantry work long and hard day after day on their masters lands for little pay outside of food and protection but the humble peasants press on in hopes that their hard work and dedication will earn them favor with their Lord in this life and favor and pity from The Lady in the next. Many a peasant are born, live their entire lives, die, and then are buried on the same plots of lands as their families have been for generations. For this reason and others the peasants do not shy from war when their Lord calls upon them to defend the Land and The Lady with everything they have and their lives if need be. Though not all of the populace live and work the land. Large cities and towns dot the rolling hills of Bretonnia in which craftsmen practice their trade. These skilled laborer's called Yeomen have earned their place apart from the land by acts of courage and intelegence the Noble class would not find "common" or "expected" of their serfs. The Armies of Bretonnia "If it must be than it shall be. If your armies move against us and against the the lands of The Lady then you force the flower of Bretonnia to unfurl and show you its thorns. And I promise you, outsider, the thorns of Bretonnia are sharp and they shall piece your heart." '-Lord Alberic, the Baron of Bordeleaux' Though the armies of Bretonnia do not leave their lands for war often the King's armies do not fear it. Bretonnian armies are most typically formed of ranks upon ranks of massed men at arms with shields provided by their Lords though their weapons are always limited to whatever the men can acquire for themselves, as is their duty. The sheer number of peasantry that can fill the Kings armies is remarkable thanks to the lands food production. These legions of shielded and massed men at arms are then reinforced by ranks of peasant bowmen and wooden war machines crafted and crewed by the Yeomen of the cities and towns. Though these peasants are but the anvil of the army, the rock of its foundation, the true hammer is the Knights of Bretonnia that ride and lead the masses. The Bretonnian cavalry are among the most skilled and powerful in the world of Ori. Notable and Important Bretonnians King Louen Leocour: The current king of Brettonia. He is known throughout the Kingdom and past it’s boarders as a kind and noble man but also as a man who is harsh and vindictive to his enemies and those who have wronged his people. He is blessed by The Lady of The Lake and holds the title of Grail Knight as well as king. In warfare he is an expert fighter but and more often than not takes to the field atop his loyal hippogryph Beaquis. Morigiana le Fae: The Fay Enchantress and the current leader of The Cult of The Lady. A powerful sorceress who’s words can carry more weight than the king himself. All people in the land from Lords and Peasants to the King and Knights are silenced when she speaks and bend knee when she walks. Gilles le Breton: The first of The Lady’s blessed, the first Grail Knight and the first King of Bretonnia, in passing also refereed to as “The Uniter” Lord Alberic: The Duke of Bordeleaux, a knight of the realm and a grizzled veteran of battle and war. Lord Chiffoy: Duke of Paravon and knight of the realm, has a history of desiring powerCategory:Civilisations